1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for storing, dispensing, and displaying substantially cylindrical articles. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a gravity fed carton for storing, dispensing, and displaying adhesives, caulks, sealants and other articles in substantially cylindrical tubes. The carton of the present invention requires no internal shelf that would otherwise occupy storage space. Moreover, when used in a grouping, the cartons are uniform in appearance whether full or containing only a single item. The carton of the present invention is useful, particularly in a retail establishment, because it maximizes the internal storage of goods and uniformly displays the goods independently of the amount of goods in the carton.
2. Prior Art
A problem facing all retailers is how to make shelves look full even when they are not. Full shelves give the impression to the consumer that the retailer will always have a supply of the goods they have come to expect. To create the impression that the shelves are full, retailers often stack goods at the front of the shelf, leaving the rear empty. Although the stacked wall of goods creates a first impression that the shelves are full, the solution is not wholly satisfactory. When the consumer removes one of the stacked items from the wall of goods, the void of space that lies behind the wall becomes visible. An object of the present invention is to provide a carton for use on a retail shelf that displays the goods to the consumer and that creates the impression of a full shelf when at least one item remains.
The prior art includes dispensers for storing and dispensing cylindrical articles and cans, such as for dispensing soft drinks in a soft drink machine or refrigerated cooler. These dispensers typically use at least one internal shelf which defines a path to guide the cylindrical articles to an opening near the bottom of the carton.
A problem in the prior-art dispensers is that the internal shelf occupies space useful for storing the articles to be dispensed. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,996,344, 2,852,327, 3,805,964, and 4,998,628 each teach a can dispenser having an internal shelf that is inclined downward, along which the cans move from the front to the rear of the dispenser. The shelf necessarily requires space that would otherwise be useful for the storage of articles to be dispensed. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,963 teaches a storage-rack assembly wherein bottles and cans are stored and dispensed by way of a serpentine storage column. It is an object of the present invention to maximize storage space within a storage dispenser by dispensing articles without the use of an internal shelf or serpentine storage column.
A further problem with the prior art is that the internal shelves cannot be easily molded by conventional injection molding processes.
An object of the invention is to provide a carton that may be easily molded by injection molding without the inherent difficulties of molding an internal shelf. Another object of the present invention is to provide a display dispenser carton that is capable of being easily loaded with the articles to be dispensed and that allows for the easy clearance of jammed or otherwise displaced articles.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser display carton that is capable of being laterally or horizontally affixed to one or more other display dispenser cartons, either vertically, horizontally, or both.
Further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description of the invention.